BSB welcomes QASA approval

The Bar Standards Board welcomes the formal approval by the
Legal Services Board (LSB) of the Quality Assurance Scheme for
Advocates (QASA).

Head of Quality at the Bar Standards Board Oliver Hanmer said:
"QASA exists to protect the public from those advocates who are not
as good as they should be. The majority of barristers will complete
the process without any difficulty, but it is right that we act to
stop those who fall short."

The Bar Standards Board will now make final adjustments to the
QASA Handbook, in line with the minor amendments requested from the
LSB. The QASA Handbook, which sets out everything advocates need to
know about QASA, will be available to download from the Bar
Standards Board and QASA websites at the beginning of August.

Barristers can get help with registering for the Scheme at a
series of drop-in sessions where they can book a 10-20 minute
individual session with a member of the QASA team. There will be a
test system at the sessions where criminal barristers will be
guided through each of the registration steps - from applying for
provisional accreditation through to submitting evidence for full
accreditation and what to expect from the evaluation process. Book
your slot here.

Details of drop-in sessions for the later phases will be made
available closer to their respective launch dates.

Anyone undertaking advocacy in the criminal courts in England and
Wales will need to register for QASA, and do so in phases according
to the Circuit in which they primarily practise. The windows for
registration are

Once the window for registration in their Circuit opens, advocates
can register online via Barrister Connect at: https://www.barristerconnect.org.uk/login/.
They will then be required to self-assess their own level of
competence - against the QASA levels table, set out in the Handbook
- and complete a series of questions. A step-by-step guide on how
to register for the Scheme will be made available from the Bar
Standards Board website in August.

The Handbook has been developed by the members of Joint Advocacy
Group, comprising the BSB, the Solicitors Regulations Authority and
ILEX Professional Standards. The Group has been working on QASA
since 2009 and there have been four formal consultations on the
Scheme.

The LSB previously issued an extension notice to allow further
time to consider the application by the JAG for approval of the
Scheme. This meant that the publication of the Scheme Handbook on
17 June had to be delayed.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

The webinar will be produced in time to accompany the road-shows
in the autumn of 2013, and will be available from the Bar Standards
Board website.

The Bar Standards Board regulates barristers called to the Bar in
England and Wales in the public interest. It is responsible
for:
• Setting the education and training requirements for becoming a
barrister.
• Setting continuing training requirements to ensure that
barristers' skills are maintained throughout their careers.
• Setting standards of conduct for barristers.
• Monitoring the service provided by barristers to assure quality,
and handling complaints against barristers and taking disciplinary
or other action where appropriate